And leaves the room.
The moment he’s gone, Mother takes a fortifying drink from her glass. “Next time, you should text your father. He was worried sick.”
“I’m sorry,” I whisper, hating that I automatically apologize for everything. I never try to explain myself. Or stand up for myself.
“You know how he gets.”
“I do.” I nod, gathering up my courage to ask the question burning in my mind. “Why did Daddy say that to you?”
“Say what?” She’s purposely playing dumb. I can tell.
“About Crew being a better—prospect.”
She lifts her chin. “We’re exploring all avenues for your future.”
I’m frowning so hard it hurts my head. “What are you talking about? Like—marrying me off to Larsen? Is that why we’re having dinner at their house tonight? Is that one of the avenues we’re seriously exploring?”
Why am I bothering to use the word “we”? Seems to me they were exploring my options, without involving me whatsoever.
“It’s not such a terrible prospect to consider. He comes from a good family. They’re very wealthy,” Mother points out.
“And ours isn’t wealthy? Why do I need to worry about money? I don’t want to get married straight out of high school. I’ll only be eighteen.” Just saying the words out loud sounds ridiculous.
“Calm down. You wouldn’t get married after high school, darling. That’s far too soon. But we want to pair you with someone to ensure your future.” She takes another sip of wine, effortlessly cool, as if nothing ever bothers her.
While I feel like my life is imploding right in front of my eyes.
“What if I want to go to college?”
The skeptical look that crosses her face is obvious. “Do you really want to do that, Wren? Such a waste of time.”
I flinch at her words. Is she implying she thinks I’m dumb?
“I don’t know.” I shrug, feeling defensive. I applied to a few colleges, listing art history as my major. “I might want to take a gap year first. I could travel around Europe and explore all of the galleries.”
“You won’t be able to buy anything though.”
I frown. “Why not? I just bought a painting today.”
“It’s hard to explain.” She drops her gaze, fiddling with the giant diamond on her finger. It’s not her wedding ring. I don’t know where that one came from, but it’s so large it almost looks fake. “You wouldn’t understand.”
My heart drops. She’s not behaving normally. “Tell me.”
A sigh leaves her and she lifts her head, her misty-eyed gaze meeting mine. “We’re having to put a halt on big purchase spending for the moment. Large art pieces are costly. You know this.”
“But why? I don’t understand. Is business not going well for Daddy?”
A watery laugh escapes her. “Your father’s company is fine. Business is booming. The real estate market is doing better than it ever has.”
“Then what is it?”
“Your father wanted us to tell you this together, but he’s abandoned us as usual.” She sits up straighter, her chin tilting up. “We’re separated.”
I gape at her, the shock of her statement leaving me chilled to the bone. “What? I was just here last week for Thanksgiving and you two acted completely normal. You still live together.”
“We didn’t want to tell you yet, but he no longer lives here. He moved out a few weeks ago.”
“A few weeks ago?” I repeat, my voice weak.